Rice Wine Substitute

As the name rightly suggests, rice wine is made from rice and not fruits. This product, which originated in the southeast Asian countries, are found to be stronger than grape wine. There are various types of rice wine that differs in the region of production, color and flavor. While sake is a Japanese rice wine, Huangjiu and Choujiu are native to China. Kulapo is a reddish rice wine from Philippines, whereas, Makgeolli from Korea has a milky consistency. Rice wine is very widely used in Chinese and other southeast Asian cuisines. While this product is easily available in those regions, others may not get rice wine from the local stores. In such cases, you can go for rice wine substitutes, in order to prepare recipes, that require this product, as an ingredient.

What is Rice Wine

Now, you know that rice wine is made from rice and is one of the traditional products of southeast Asian countries. In those regions, it is used for drinking and is also added to food. It is one of the indispensable traditional staples in some of the Asian countries and is easily made at home. In order to prepare rice wine, you have to soak glutinous rice (4 cups) in hot water for around an hour. After one hour, drain the rice and steam it for about thirty minutes. Remove the rice form the steamer and allow it to cool. It may take around 2 to 3 hours for the rice to get cool completely. Grind ¼ of the Chinese yeast ball and add the powder to one teaspoon of all-purpose flour. Add this yeast-flour mixture to the rice and combine them with hand.

The next step is to transfer the rice to sterilized containers that have to be secured tightly with lids. Place those containers in warm, dry place, so that the rice gets fermented. It takes at least one month for the rice to get fermented. After one month, open the container and separate the liquid part from the rice mixture. This liquid is called rice wine, that has to be refrigerated in air tight glass containers. Now, you have a basic idea about how to prepare rice wine. It may happen that sometimes, you want to prepare some food recipes, that require rice wine and you don't have it. In such cases, you can use rice wine substitutes.

Substitute for Rice Wine

Rice wine can be substituted with some other liquors, that are closest to the former in flavor. One of the popular rice wine alternatives is pale dry sherry, which is said to be having a flavor closest to Shaoxing rice wine. Another rice wine substitute is gin, which can be an ideal option to replace white rice wine. You may also use dry white wine, which is mostly preferred for replacing rice wine in marinades. Even some types of juices, like, apple and white grape juice can be used as substitutes for rice wine. This will be perfect for those who want non-alcoholic alternatives. However, this may result in a slight change in flavor. While the above said substitutes are commonly used, cooking wine and Chinese rice wine vinegars are avoided, as they have an entirely different flavor, as compared to the rice wine. Some people use the Japanese rice wine called sake for this purpose, but, some others prefer not to, as they don't have the same flavor as the Chinese rice wine.

In short, pale dry sherry and gin can be used as rice wine substitutes. If these are not available, use dry white wine or apple juice. You may also use white grape juice. So, you don't have to worry, the next time you run out of rice wine, as you can use the above said substitutes.